Little Things That are Better – Keratoconus and my DALK Corneal Transplant

3-D Movies after Corneal Transplant

RC — Mon, 21 Oct 2013 20:25:55 +0000

With Keratoconus in my left eye, I had pseudo-3d vision. My right eye was doing the lions share of sharp vision, while my left eye was trying hard to give a blurry depth to it all. But for the most part, I was monocular.

When my wife, kids and I had popped in to a “Bug’s Life in 3D” movie at Disney around 10 years ago, I could not see the effects. I had since looked at a 3d movie or two on TV and still, nothing.

But since my surgery, I’m fully binocular. So my wife and I decided to go see “Gravity” in 3D last night. You might say it’s the first 3D movie I’ve seen since, well, ever. It was a lot of fun to wear the glasses and see the various objects spinning outside the screen. The movie was pretty good (I got hung up on how Sandra Bullocks’ escape pod was pointing in the right direction when she fired the thrusters and other physics problems) and I enjoyed the evening with my wife.

I look forward to seeing the new Hobbit movie or other 3d movies soon.

Little Things: Glasses after Corneal Transplant (That Work!)

RC — Mon, 09 Sep 2013 12:08:04 +0000

A short post today. With the sutures coming out slowly over time, it’s always been my choice to put off getting a new eyeglasses prescription.

With lenses being so expensive, and insurance limitations, it hardly made sense to pay for a new left lens every few months as my vision (astigmatism) was altered by the process. I was already tweaking expensive contacts to follow the “suture roulette”, so I chose to hold off on the glasses.

Well, with all sutures out and a month of stabilization, I’ve finally got new lenses for my Oakley glasses. It’s amazing to have spectacles that correct nearly as well as my contacts – and liberating. I can now feel more confident on driving holidays where I might find myself at the wheel longer than my lens wear time allows. And I can easily drive should a mid-night emergency happen.

With allergies wreaking havoc on both eyes this Fall, I may choose to wear the glasses more often, allowing me to use eye drop antihistamines anytime I need them, avoiding the drowsiness that comes with their oral equivalent.

I cannot remember when I last had glasses that worked so well – but I’d guess it’s been nearly 15 years.

So, yet another little thing that the DALK surgery has brought me, more than two years later.

Little things: PAN-STARRS comet viewing

RC — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 18:58:11 +0000

It happens every 110,000 years. And I saw it thanks to my improved vision.

Little Things: Autumn Colors in Kentucky

RC — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 21:27:20 +0000

And without warning, seemingly overnight, Autumn has reached Kentucky. Our trees now begin their show and we head into our relatively mild winters here.

With my new eyesight, I’ve enjoyed autumn this year more than usual. I’ve spent days outside on weekends with my hobby and taken in every minute detail.

It’s so much more than sharpness – it’s color saturation that comes with the new eyes.

Blog Theme Update

It’s also been a long time since I’ve updated the blog’s look. So I hope you like the new theme I’ve chosen moving us into the cooler months.

Little Things: Stargazing

RC — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 20:50:14 +0000

I just went on a 2 week family vacation to CA. Lots of night driving. Not a peep out of my contact lens, and never any pain at all and wore them for 14+ hours daily. We went to Yosemite and at 5000 feet elevation, found a remote field and just went stargazing for a few hours with my kids. Did you know that most kids never see a starry night? It was the first time I’d done this since cornea transplant surgery – and it was wonderful. I had my new soft lens in place and each star was a pinprick. Meteors, satellites and more. I imagined my donor out there somewhere. I think we might join a stargazing group in Lexington.

Little Things: A Robin Feeding Her Young

RC — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 12:34:40 +0000

Today I watched a robin working her nest. My depth perception was, well, deep. With keratoconus, I would previously have been less able to pick out the nest against the leaves in the background. But this time, it was clear. The colors were distinct, and the ugly little birdlings were even more homely than I recall before. Brilliant.

New – DALK Transplant Chronology

RC — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 21:25:57 +0000

Quick post to let you know that I just made a new page which covers the chronology from my first Dr. appt to one year after the surgery. Same posts, but in chronological order.

http://corneanews.com/about-kerataconus/chronology/

Little Things: Holiday Lights without Keratoconus Halos

RC — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 14:31:29 +0000

My latest observation about the little things that are different since my DALK corneal transplant surgery comes this holiday season. This year, I’m seeing holiday lighting as it’s mean to be seen – with pinpoints of color. Not only were they hard to see with Keratoconus, but I was unable to drive around at night to look. If I close my right eye, I still get the slightest echoing of pinpoints, but with both eyes, my brain filters that out. I think the blurring that remains is because I’ve no corrective lens yet on the left eye.

Coming up: I will be halting steroids in a week or so.